Uploaded May 2009 | Updated September 2026, 24 minutes ago
At a social gathering in 1865, Henry C. Welles, a druggist in the village of Waterloo, New York suggested that honor should be shown to the patriotic dead of the Civil War by decorating their graves. The following spring he again suggested it to General John B. Murray, Seneca County Clerk, who embraced the idea and set aside a day devoted to honoring the dead. Townspeople adopted the idea wholeheartedly by decorating the town with flags at half-mast and draping evergreen boughs and mourning black streamers.
Since that day our nation has surely made its significance a relevant part of the American experience.
Accompanied by composer Antonin Dvořák's New World Symphony Largo (Symphony No. 9 Op. 95), this video showcases the reality of war as it pertains to those who fight them, their imprisonment, and the scapegoats of war who become the targets for crimes against humanity. The musical introduction for the audio of this video includes Taps performed by U.S. Military Bagpipes & Massed Bands Pipes & Drums of the Welsh Guards.
A Poem For Peace
By Tammy Kane
"Our nations innocence is lost,
Stolen by acts of hate.
Helpless people paid the cost,
For them it is too late.
Daughters, sons, husbands, wives,
Sisters, friends and brothers.
All of them have lost their lives,
To senseless acts of others.
New Yorks city has been defaced.
Bodies lay in rubble.
They can never be replaced.
But war wont end our trouble.
Angers only escalate,
As we point out the guilt.
Violence will perpetuate.
While we dig through the silt.
Cries of anger, cries for war,
Echo in the air.
As if our bombs and missiles soar,
It will make it fair.
People claim "eye for an eye"
Our nation wants to fight.
If their innocent people die,
Then will that make US right?
Punishment surely must take place.
These murderers must pay.
But they are groups and not a race.
Keep liberty in mind, each day.
We are people of goodwill,
Of truth and love and light.
Please give thought before you kill,
Take heed before you fight.
We ask, what do we tell our children?
How do we give them ease?
Reactions set examples for them,
Should we not teach them peace?"
At a social gathering in 1865, Henry C. Welles, a druggist in the village of Waterloo, New York suggested that honor should be shown to the patriotic dead of the Civil War by decorating their graves. The following spring he again suggested it to General John B. Murray, Seneca County Clerk, who embraced the idea and set aside a day devoted to honoring the dead. Townspeople adopted the idea wholeheartedly by decorating the town with flags at half-mast and draping evergreen boughs and mourning black streamers.
Since that day our nation has surely made its significance a relevant part of the American experience.
Accompanied by composer Antonin Dvořák's New World Symphony Largo (Symphony No. 9 Op. 95), this video showcases the reality of war as it pertains to those who fight them, their imprisonment, and the scapegoats of war who become the targets for crimes against humanity. The musical introduction for the audio of this video includes Taps performed by U.S. Military Bagpipes & Massed Bands Pipes & Drums of the Welsh Guards.
A Poem For Peace
By Tammy Kane
"Our nations innocence is lost,
Stolen by acts of hate.
Helpless people paid the cost,
For them it is too late.
Daughters, sons, husbands, wives,
Sisters, friends and brothers.
All of them have lost their lives,
To senseless acts of others.
New Yorks city has been defaced.
Bodies lay in rubble.
They can never be replaced.
But war wont end our trouble.
Angers only escalate,
As we point out the guilt.
Violence will perpetuate.
While we dig through the silt.
Cries of anger, cries for war,
Echo in the air.
As if our bombs and missiles soar,
It will make it fair.
People claim "eye for an eye"
Our nation wants to fight.
If their innocent people die,
Then will that make US right?
Punishment surely must take place.
These murderers must pay.
But they are groups and not a race.
Keep liberty in mind, each day.
We are people of goodwill,
Of truth and love and light.
Please give thought before you kill,
Take heed before you fight.
We ask, what do we tell our children?
How do we give them ease?
Reactions set examples for them,
Should we not teach them peace?"
